Convicted paedophile gets 18 years in prison

A PREDATORY paedophile has been jailed for 18 years for vile crimes against schoolgirls.

Father-of-three Steven Ryan, 33, rocked on his heels and shut his eyes as he was jailed - watched by relatives who wept at Hull Crown Court on February 11.

Ryan of Travis Street, Bridlington, carried out abuse on two separate school girls and escaped prosecution the first time only to go on to re-offend 16 years later.

Jailing Ryan, Judge Michael Mettyear said: “I am quite satisfied you are a determined and predatory paedophile. Surprisingly, it is usually possible for me to find some redeeming feature in a defendant, and I try some horrific cases. I can find none in you.

“You sexually abused your first victim and I am quite satisfied, if she had not complained, you would have gone on to take it further.

“You abused the second girl of a similar age, raping her and repeatedly abusing her, in a variety of ways.

“It is clear to me, you intended to go even further and invite other paedophiles to join you. Goodness knows what would have happened to her if that occurred.”

Ryan, a cannabis user, told a raft of lies to escape blame during a six-day trial at Hull Crown Court.

He walked in each morning with his face covered in a scarf. It took a jury less than an hour to find him guilty of three rapes, 13 offences of sexual activity with a child and one charge of indecent assault on the five-year-old girl.

Police initially arrested Ryan following the first complaint of indecent assault on the girl aged five, but a decision was made not to prosecute until a second girl came forward revealing more serious abuse including three rapes.

The girl was abused from the age of four. Ryan introduced her to pornography on his laptop.

He threatened violence if she did not do as she was told. Ryan made her dress in underwear and high boots for his sexual gratification. The girl told the police: “I sat on the doorstep after what he had done just stroking the dog and crying. At the time when I thought of him I felt sick. Sometimes I just hate him.”

Crown barrister Jo Kidd told the court Ryan had caused significant problems for the first girl who now found relationships difficult. She said the second girl found it difficult to sleep. “She suffers nightmare and does not play out,” said Ms Kidd. “She has to sleep with the door open and her behaviour has deteriorated since the disclosures. She has yet to go through counselling and she has been through a torrid time.”

“My best wishes go to both these girls, and hope they can draw some comfort in the verdicts. I am quite satisfied you are a dangerous man.

“I have no doubt there is a high risk of you committing similar offences in the future, if you get the chance. It is particularly of concern that even pending this trial you have been in the company of a convicted paedophile.”

He ordered Ryan should sign on the National Sex Offenders’ Register for life, and be made the subject of a Sex Offenders’ Prevention Order.

Because of his dangerousness, the judge ordered Ryan would be given a 10-year extended license period to his sentence. If he commits another offence after his early release, he would have to return to complete all 18 years.